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·Rights and needs of patients: Culturally
appropriate care, patient engagement
in their own care, provision of health
information to patients relating to their
treatment, medication and risks
and benefits.
·Safety, quality improvement and
education: Clinical governance, education
and training of clinical and administrative
staff, and quality improvement activities.
·Information systems: Privacy and
confidentiality.
·Practice facilities and access:
Practice equipment, physical access, safe
and quality use of medicines, and infection
prevention and control.
·Risk-management systems: Processes
for monitoring and reviewing the safety
and quality of patient care, patient
identification and procedure matching.
Human Resource Management
A prospective partner will be reassured
if they can see that the practice has
systems, policies and procedures relating to
human-resource management. Successful
recruitment processes help the practice to
recruit the best staff, while a comprehensive
induction program allows those new staff
to have a clear understanding of their roles,
accountabilities and expectations.
There are clear performance-management
processes, which include clear guidelines for
the management of workplace issues. The
Human Resource Management system is
able to identify training needs and determine
appropriate qualifications and professional
development opportunities.
Critically, it ensures the practice complies
with awards, the Fair Work Act and the
Work Health Safety Act.
Financial Management Systems
Systems for financial planning and control
enable regular and accurate monitoring of
the practice's financial position to ensure
the ongoing viability of the practice.
Well-developed internal systems support
compliance and help to identify any issues
before they become major problems.
Financial management includes:
·Basicfinancialrequirements,including
expenses related to patient services
and practice overheads.
·Administrativeandfinancialissues
relating to the financial viability of
the practice on a day-to-day basis
and compliance requirements such as
taxation, Medicare and health funds.
·Internalissues,includingcashflow,
fees and managing expenses.
Technology Management Systems
The increasing prevalence of technology
means systems need to be developed and
implemented to ensure the practice has
policies and procedures to maximise the
effective use of technology and minimise any
associated risks.
Policies and procedures should cover:
·Computersecurityforhardware,
software and information, especially
patient health information.
·Controllingaccesstodataandensuring
its security.
·Disasterrecoveryplanning.
·Email,Internetandsocialmedia.
·Patientelectroniccommunication.
·Securecommunicationswithother
healthcare providers.
The risk of not having systems in place
to manage technology usage could create
significant legal and administrative issues
for the practice.
ATTRACTING POTENTIAL
REFERRERS
Earlier we identified three target audiences
when marketing a practice. Systems that
encourage potential referrers will also appeal
to prospective partners, who will appreciate
POLICIES &
PROCEEDURES